The invention relates to a filtration device and more specifically to a liquid/solids waste separator. The liquid/solids waste separator apparatus has been specifically designed for separating animal waste into filtered liquid and collectable waste particles. The apparatus works especially well for filtering the manure of livestock and hogs by farmers but it could have other applications.
Examples of several prior art patents will be discussed below.
The Hanselmann U.S. Pat. No. 3,607,399 is directed to a method and apparatus for cleaning screen drums in textile machines. In operation, referring to FIGS. 1 and 4, the cleaning roll 10 and drive roll 11 are arranged inside the screen drum 3 with the drive roll 11 to the left of the cleaning roll 10 for a rotation of the screen drum 3 in a counter clockwise direction. The fins 13 on the cleaning roll 10 are inclined in the direction of the screen drum rotation. Upon rotation of screen drum 3, drive roll 11 rotates in the same direction due to the friction of its rubber surface on the interior surface of screens 5. Drive roll 11, due to its frictional contact with the fins 13 on the cleaning roll 10, drives the cleaning roll 10 in a opposite clockwise direction. A carrier air stream then transports the fiber material 1 via the feed duct 2 to the outer surface of screen 5 of the rotating screen drum 3. The air stream then flows through the perforations 4 into the interior space of screen drum 3 while the fiber material is deposited on the outer surface of screen 5. At the same time, the fins of the rotating cleaning rolls remove any tangles that form in the perforations 4 or at other places on the interior surface of the screen. The fiber material removed after passing a line of frictional contact between the drive roll and cleaning roll is then carried away from the inside by the carrier air stream which passes through screen 5 and exits via an exhaust duct (not shown) at the uncovered end of the screen drum. An alternative embodiment uses a plurality of balls to replace the cleaning roll and the drive roll.
The Black et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,656,493 is directed to a screen washing apparatus with an enclosure cabinet having screen loading means extending between the exterior and the interior of the cabinet. The cabinet contains a washing gun support means advanceable across the area of the screen by controlled bi-directional movement to interrelated conveyance means, one in one dimension and one in the other dimension transversely thereto, the one having a sweeping movement and the other an incremental advancement. Lighting means is arranged to allow visual inspection upon completion of the washing cycle, through access doors. The washing gun is removable from its support means for manual washing of any local areas.
The Mikolajczyk U.S. Pat. No. 3,855,118 is directed to a device for washing and retaining representative drilled formation cuttings such as customarily obtained for analysis in oil field drilling operations. The washing device is used in the following manner. The lid 17 is raised and the cage door 27 is slid to the left out of position. The operator thereupon places the well cutting samples to be washed within the foraminous cage assembly 20, closing the various access doors to initiate washing. The water control valve 36 is then opened as well as the drain valve 26, and the screen assembly 20 rotates by virtue of a hand crank assembly 40 during which time the well cutting samples are continually agitated and tumbled within the cage assembly 20. The perforations 25 within the oblong tube members 24 are preferably positioned such that the resulting stream is directed at the well cutting samples. Screen 20 and access door 27, together with its related appurtenances, is fabricated of brass or bronze.
The DeLoach U.S. Pat. No. 4,682,613 is directed to apparatus for cleaning loose fill media, and more particularly to apparatus for cleaning loose fill media of the type used in aeration, de-gassification, odor control and air stripping towers. It has a foraminated cylindrical container mounted on a platform for rotation at a relatively slow speed. A portion of the container passes through a pan containing a liquid solvent of the particular type useful in removing the containment which has filed the medium. A first pump is provided to transfer this liquid from the pan to a storage tank. A second pump delivers liquid at high pressure to be sprayed on the media. A hoist raises one end of the container to facilitate the unloading of the cleaned media.
The Rohm et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,705,055 is directed to apparatus for automatically cleaning extrusion screens in juice finishing machines and the like. The automatic cleaning apparatus 50 includes a cleaning assembly or wash ring 52 comprising a tubular horseshoe-portion 54 extending generally circumferentially about the cylindrical screen 14 in the region between screen 14 and housing 12. Cleaning assembly 52 is also provided with a plurality of nozzles 56 which are supplied with cleaning fluid from the tubular horseshoe-shaped portion 54. Cleaning assembly or wash ring 52 is supported about the periphery of a cylindrical screen by mounting brackets 62 and 64. Brackets 62 and 64 are in turn slidably mounted on V-shaped tracks 66 and 68 so that the entire cleaning assembly or wash ring 52 is capable of reciprocating lateral movement with respect to cylindrical screen 14.
The MacFarlane U.S. Pat. No. 5,400,812 relates to apparatus and a method of cleaning textile printing screens. Cleaning apparatus 10 comprises pump house 11, an enclosed wash tank 12 and a loading unit 13, supported on the framework. The pump house is arranged to deliver high pressure water to an internal screen cleaning nozzle arrangement 14 and a ring-shaped external screen cleaning nozzle 15. The nozzle arrangements 14, 15 are arranged in a gap 19 between a screen support skid 16 and an entry screen support skid 17. The screen support skid 16, the entry screen support skid 17 and loading skid 18 include a semi-circular recess substantially the same diameter as that of a cylindrical printing screen to be cleaned. Skids 16,17 and 18 are thereby arranged to support the cylindrical printing screen during passage into and from the apparatus 10.
The Lithander U.S. Pat. No. 5,549,759 is directed to a tube or pipe cleaning apparatus in which a rotatable conveyor drum is mounted within a container. The drum periphery is formed with pipe-receiving pockets, where a high pressure solution is simultaneously sprayed over and within the pipes to clean them.
The Cord et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,956 is directed a screen cleaning apparatus that includes an enclosed housing which forms a cleaning chamber having a plurality of spraying nozzles positioned therein to spray a printing screen with a cleaning solvent. An oscillating mechanism is mounted within the cleaning chamber to move the screen in an oscillating motion in front of the spray nozzle to provide an efficient and effective cleaning of the printing screen.
The Nanjyo et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,860,361 is directed to a screen plate cleaning station having nozzles discharging a cleaning liquid to clean a screen plate which has been set in place, the station comprising a hood-like cleaning zone setting means which are provided on both sides of the screen plate in such a manner that their extremities are in contact with both surfaces of the screen plate, thereby defining substantially equal cleaning zones on both sides to prevent the cleaning liquid discharge from the nozzles from scattering.
The Foster et al U.S. Pat. No. 6,129,099 is directed to a pallet washing apparatus and method. The apparatus includes a main housing having a conveyor system on which articles are transported into and through a washing chamber. A plurality of high pressure, jet-stream spray nozzles rotating at high speeds are supplied with a high pressure wash fluid. The spray nozzles provide rapid powerful, knife-like jet streams of wash fluid which impact the surface of the articles moving through the washing chamber repeatedly to lift and blast off contaminants adhered to the articles.
The Cord et al U.S. Pat. No. 6,174,382 B1 is directed to a printing screen cleaning and reclaiming apparatus comprising a cleaning device defining a cleaning and reclaiming path and a plurality of low pressure-high volume water wash off stations, in series, along the path. An ink degradient, an emulsion remover, and a degreaser are each applied successively along the path, and an ink removal station, an emulsion removal station, and a degreaser removal station are positioned successively along the path to provide the low pressure-high volume water wash off.
The Tani U.S. Pat. No. 6,234,080 B1 is directed to apparatus for cleaning screens used in screen printing machines for printing of solder paste onto a surface of a printed circuit board.
It is an object of the invention to provide a novel liquid/solids waste separator having an elongated mesh screen to filter solids from liquids that have already passed through one or more separators.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a novel liquid/solids waste separator apparatus for filtering cattle and hog waste effluent.
It is another object of the invention to provide a novel liquid/solids waste separator apparatus that self cleans its filtering screen thereby reducing or eliminating downtime normally required to clean the screen.
It is an additional object of the invention to provide a novel liquid/solids waste separator apparatus that recycles filtered liquid to be used by the high pressure spray nozzles used to blast solid waste particles off the filtration screens thereby elimination the need for a separate water source.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a novel liquid/solids waste separator having an elongated stainless steel screen whose openings can be kept clear by high pressure waste water without abrasive wear on the screen.
It is another object of the invention to provide a novel liquid/solids waste separator mounted in an adjustable frame so that the angle of the separator housing can be varied to control flow of the effluent over the separator's elongated screen.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel liquid/solids waste separator that has full time cleansing that is accomplished by a traveling spray bar under the screen passing parallel to the screen at a regular rate.